Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

When morning sunlight poured into the wooden house, Itachi Uchiha woke up.

He slipped quietly out of the covers, carefully tucked the blanket around Sasuke sleeping beside him, then softly stepped out of the house.

Since joining ANBU, he rarely slept beside Sasuke anymore.

In fact, he hardly ever stayed at home overnight.

Therefore, during this rare peaceful dream, he didn't want to wake Sasuke too early.

Pushing open the door.

The sunlight outside was blindingly bright, almost too harsh for Itachi Uchiha's liking.

He instinctively reached toward his waist for the ANBU fox mask.

After a brief pause,

he suddenly remembered—he wasn't in Konoha anymore, and there was no need to wear an ANBU mask ever again.

"Itachi, you're awake?"

A calm, deep male voice called out.

Itachi turned his gaze toward the sound.

Right in the front yard,

his father Fugaku Uchiha sat beneath a cherry blossom tree, leisurely sipping from a small pot of sake.

"Unbelievable! He's already knocking back sake at this ungodly hour without even a snack to go with it."

"Leaving Konoha and stepping down from his post as chief of police—did Father really get this relaxed after giving up all his duties?"

Itachi didn't voice the thoughts running through his mind; he just didn't know how to start.

He simply gave a slight nod and closed the door behind him.

"Sasuke is still asleep?"

"Yes."

"Your mother is still tidying the kitchen. No need to light the stove today."

"Itachi, go buy some breakfast from the street vendors. And while you're at it, bring back some snacks to go with my sake."

"It will also be good for you to personally see how the New Village built by our Uchiha Clan looks..."

Fugaku Uchiha took another sip of sake, eyes half-closed in satisfaction as he issued the request.

Certainly not because he had left in such a rush earlier that he forgot to bring his personal stash of money...

Which is exactly why he hadn't brought any money for snacks in the first place.

"Alright."

Itachi gave a slight nod before quickly stepping out of the front yard and onto the street.

To be honest,

he also wanted to see for himself what the New Village built by his cousin Shimoku Uchiha looked like, along with the others from the clan.

...

Just arriving on the street, a shadow swiftly appeared behind Itachi.

"My name is Terumi Uchiha. We've met twice before."

"These past few days I've been assigned to keep an eye on you."

"Of course, unless you cause trouble, I won't interfere..."

Terumi Uchiha introduced himself coldly.

As for Itachi—the clan's legendary prodigy—Terumi Uchiha had heard about him long ago.

"Watch over me?"

"Do whatever you want..."

Itachi glanced at Terumi Uchiha behind him, muttering.

This was actually the first time he'd encountered someone who dared to openly spy on him.

"That's correct. However, this isn't ordered by the Young Master."

"To be honest, Itachi, we just don't trust you yet."

"I don't understand. You, who possess extraordinary talent and formidable strength, why would you choose to stand against the clan..."

Terumi Uchiha restrained his anger, speaking coldly as he questioned.

Being one of Shimoku's Personal Guards, he already knew a lot about Itachi's background and choices.

Precisely because of that knowledge,

he couldn't comprehend.

Why did he, aside from the Young Master,

Within the Uchiha Clan, the more talented members often found themselves at odds with the clan's policies and leaned toward supporting Konoha instead.

Both Kagami Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha had been like this during their lifetimes, and now Itachi Uchiha was no different.

What a load of crap was this "Will of Fire"? Did it really hold such magical power?

Itachi's expression froze for a moment.

He then gave a silent shake of his head, offering no further explanation.

At this point, any more justification would be meaningless anyway.

As long as Sasuke was still alive, none of the rest mattered anymore.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some food."

With a calm reply, Itachi ignored Riyō and turned to stride toward the main street.

The smell of food in the air told him there had to be somewhere serving breakfast up ahead.

...

As he walked forward, Itachi confirmed just that.

The Homura Hidden Village was clearly built with exceptional planning.

Streets, houses, shops, drainage systems, transportation—everything had been meticulously planned and constructed. Compared to the Uchiha District in Konoha, everything here was far more orderly and impressive.

Even the fresh scent of newly cut wood alone brought a refreshing sense of vitality.

Soon after arriving at the main street,

The lively scene immediately caught Itachi slightly off guard.

Along this main street—barely a hundred meters long—

Over thirty shops were already open.

More than half of them were small food stalls dishing out all sorts of meals.

Several dozen Uchiha clan members, their faces filled with smiles, were happily eating breakfast, preparing energetically for a brand-new day.

"This place... actually set up a full commercial district already?!"

Itachi thought inwardly with amazement.

In truth, the clearest sign that people are living peacefully and happily is a thriving marketplace.

After all, when a village suffers from constant war,

Villagers dare not buy goods, and merchants hesitate to sell.

How could peace even exist then? Or any hope of prosperity?

Previously, the first wave of arriving Uchiha members numbered barely over four hundred people.

Now already having more than thirty shops open—it was an incredibly high proportion!

Moreover, the most important part was—

Itachi saw smiles on his clansmen's faces that hadn't appeared in ages!

Laborers eating breakfast laughed and chatted together, elderly vendors joyfully conversed while serving customers, even children quarreling over candies at the street corner laughed heartily...

Just the sound of laughter added color and life to what had once been a gray, lifeless canvas.

From the time Itachi could remember,

A gloomy and suffocating atmosphere always hovered over the Uchiha District in Konoha.

He rarely saw his parents, let alone any smiles appearing on his clansmen's faces.

Smiling?

Absolutely impossible!

"You troublesome Uchiha—daring to laugh freely now?"

"Are you mocking someone? Or trying to imply something sarcastic?"

"Come on, come with us for questioning!"

That was the reality inside the Uchiha District back then—maybe a bit exaggerated, but not by much.

But that hostility, coldness, and disdain shown by the entire village toward the Uchiha clan—there was absolutely no exaggeration in that.

Compared with that,

The clansmen here seemed as if transformed into a completely different group of people.

So, even members of the Uchiha Clan could laugh so freely and relax completely—just like ordinary people?

Living here must be much easier… far easier…

"How is it? Doesn't it feel different from when you were in Konoha?"

Suddenly, another familiar voice rang out beside Itachi.

Startled, Itachi looked up sharply.

Only then did he realize his cousin Shimoku had somehow appeared right by his side without him noticing at all!

Had he been too absorbed in watching just now?

"That's true! The clan members are much more relaxed here than they ever were back in Konoha."

"It's been a long time since I've seen such relaxed smiles on our clanspeople."

Itachi nodded and honestly replied.

"Being a ninja..."

"is about enduring pain no ordinary person could bear."

"But why can't we even enjoy the simple joys that ordinary people take for granted?"

"Life's short. Why not enjoy it while we can?"

"Says you, Itachi?"

Shimoku narrowed his eyes with a smile as he asked.

Itachi frowned slightly, wanting to object.

Yet seeing the scenes before him, he found himself unable to form a rebuttal.

"Shimoku, my cousin, just what exactly…"

"Nope. Don't call me 'cousin' or anything. It feels weird."

"Just call me Shimoku, or even Shimoku-san if you prefer."

"And I'll call you Itachi as well."

Itachi: "Okay."

Shimoku: "Oh right. To be honest, before I defected, I actually considered whether I should eliminate you first."

Shimoku raised his eyebrows suddenly and admitted bluntly.

Even though back then, Itachi had chosen Konoha over his family for various reasons...

Shimoku still deeply disliked such a two-faced act.

His family and parents had given him life and raised him.

Even if he didn't want to repay them, fine.

But how could he turn around and slaughter his own clansmen?

Even if you were doing it for Sasuke's sake.

Given Itachi's strength, there were many alternatives, weren't there?

At the very least, he could've fled with Sasuke, right?

Why choose the cruelest, most painful path?

Still...

Taking into account his own abilities at the time, Itachi's role, and Konoha's response, among other factors, Shimoku ultimately chose not to act.

Itachi was startled once again.

He hadn't expected Shimoku to be this straightforward.

Then he let out a bitter chuckle, almost mocking himself:

"That's right! I'm nothing but a traitor."

"It's perfectly normal for you to want to eliminate a traitor like me."

Shimoku: "Yeah, absolutely!"

"At the time, your entire family really put me through hell."

"One big traitor, and one indecisive Great Clan Leader—you two were like thorns in the Uchiha Clan's side, impossible to ignore or remove!"

"There were even times I wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan!"

As he said that,

Itachi's expression immediately changed.

Did he really mean even Sasuke?

And when it came to anything involving his flesh-and-blood younger brother, Itachi would become 100% serious—absolutely unforgiving, not even able to tolerate a joke regarding it.

Immediately, Itachi turned toward Shimoku with a sharp, calculating stare filled with latent killing intent.

"Alright, alright. Don't look at me like that."

"I know Shisui's other eye is in your possession, and that you can activate [Kotoamatsukami] anytime."

Shimoku waved his hand casually, calmly exposing the truth.

Upon hearing this, Itachi was startled.

After all, the fact that Shisui had entrusted his remaining eye to him was supposed to be top secret. There should only be one person who knew about it—Itachi himself!

How could Shimoku possibly know?

Could it be that he'd been secretly watching when Shisui took his own life?

That couldn't be right!

"You...how did you find out?" asked Itachi.

"That doesn't matter," replied Shimoku dismissively.

"What matters is my advice: don't even think about using it on me."

"If you attempt to control me with [Kotoamatsukami] without drawing attention, using your current power level, you'll just drain your ocular energy—and most likely still fail."

He added with confidence.

Now, he was no longer that inexperienced fledgling from the time of his defection.

He had become a full-fledged villain Ō, equipped with both an [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan] and [Sage Body]!

With Itachi's present strength and chakra reserves, there was no way he could override these Eternal Mangekyo eyes of his with just one [Kotoamatsukami] alone.

Besides, their disparity in dojutsu power alone spanned at least several dozen times over!

Sure, [Kotoamatsukami] might be mighty, but it was still a dojutsu technique requiring ocular energy to execute.

Needless to say, would anyone really believe that a single [Kotoamatsukami] could easily rewrite Madara or Hashirama's willpower?

After all, Sasuke's ocular power was enough to resist [Infinite Tsukuyomi]!

When a certain gap in strength is reached,

it cannot simply be bridged by just one or two techniques!

...

Itachi took a deep breath and silently nodded, saying nothing more.

He didn't think Shimoku was lying to him.

Because now, he could clearly sense from his cousin beside him—a terrifying aura hidden beneath a calm surface.

A strength so profound that it went beyond his comprehension—

so immense, it sent chills down his spine.

In merely a month since they'd last met,

his cousin Shimoku's growth could no longer be described as "changing daily"…

No—it was more like a meteoric rise straight to the heavens!

Before such overwhelming power,

was there still any hope for Konoha to win?

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